When Carrollton resident Brian Woods needed laser eye surgery last year, he scrutinized options in North Texas for the best deal.

McAllen resident Cesar Vega was concerned about the long wait he faced to treat his broken leg after a motorcycle accident during the weekend leading into the July 4 holiday.

Both ended up in Monterrey, Mexico. Traditionally, the city’s affluent residents have traveled to Dallas, Houston or San Antonio for their medical needs.

“All around I was very impressed, and the experience surpassed any expectation I had,” Mr. Woods said. “I could have been in Zurich, Switzerland, but it was Mexico. I found the care to be top quality, what you would expect at a U.S. hospital and more.”

Like vacations in sparkling Cancún or Cabo San Lucas, health care in Mexico is becoming high-quality, cheap and convenient, advocates say. As more Americans go without heath insurance or feel the pinch of managed care, some are making a run for the border for treatment ranging from routine care to life-saving procedures.

Two North Texas-based hospital chains, Christus Health of Irving and International Hospital Corp. of Dallas, are tapping into a need and an opportunity by providing in their hospitals in Mexico what their executives say is the best of both worlds – U.S.-quality health care and relatively low Mexican prices.

“Our goal is to have the safest hospitals in the international market,” said Cliff Orme, CEO of International Hospital Corp. “We’re implementing U.S. standards into these hospitals so you won’t notice the difference going to a hospital in Dallas than one in a Latin American country.”

Some experts, including Peter Maddox of Christus Health, see Mexico as an answer to the complex question of how to treat aging and underinsured Americans at a time when the retirement of baby boomers will further tax the U.S. health care system. An estimated 43 million Americans, about 15 percent of the population, are uninsured, according to a Census Bureau study.

“Our country will go broke unless we find a health care alternative,” said Mr. Maddox, Christus’ senior vice president for business, strategy and corporate development. “Mexico is a wonderful alternative with incredible potential.”

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